Dr. Richard Forno is a Senior Lecturer in the UMBC Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, where he directs the UMBC Graduate Cybersecurity Program and serves as the Assistant Director of UMBC's Center for Cybersecurity. His twenty-year career spans the government, military, and private sector, including helping build a formal cybersecurity program for the US House of Representatives, serving as the first Chief Security Officer for the InterNIC, and co-founding the CyberMaryland conference. Richard was also one of the early researchers on the subject of "cyberwarfare" and he remains a longtime commentator on the influence of Internet technology upon society.

His multiple interdisciplinary research and professional interests include information age conflict (broadly defined), cybersecurity operations, risk communication, and the social shaping of technology -- specifically, contextual issues related to resiliency and autonomy in networked societies.

Richard received his Ph.D. from Curtin University of Technology in 2010, and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in international relations from American University and Salve Regina University respectively. From 2005-12, he was a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, serving as a course instructor for the CERT Coordination Center.

As part of it's 50th anniversary celebrations, the Australian university where I did graduate work recently interviewed me on a range of cybersecurity topics. At the time of our chat, Australian Prime Minister Turnbull had just proclaimed that "the laws of Australia prevail in Australia, I can assure you of that.

The WikiLeaks CIA release: When will we learn?

As a new presidential administration takes over, it will need to pay significant attention to cybersecurity. Indeed, we’ve already been told to expect “a comprehensive plan” for cybersecurity in the first few months of the new administration.

The presidential campaign of 2016 thankfully – and we can only hope officially – ended this evening. As of when this article was posted, there are no reports of widespread cyberattacks or other digital interference against state voting systems. Of course, since votes are still being tallied, we’re not in the clear yet. But current indications are that this was a fairly uneventful election, from a cybersecurity perspective at least.

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As a new presidential administration takes over, it will need to pay significant attention to cybersecurity. Indeed, we’ve already been told to expect “a comprehensive plan” for cybersecurity in the first few months of the new administration.

"The move really doesn’t come as a surprise, says Richard Forno, director of the Graduate Cybersecurity Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and assistant director of its Center for Cybersecurity. Former President Barack Obama approved the move before leaving office, but it took a while for President Trump to make it official, Forno points out.

"Dr. Richard Forno, director of Graduate Cybersecurity Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, offered a similar response, telling IBT bonafide white hat security researchers “have no business developing and then selling malware on dark web sites—let alone launching or managing a malware outbreak” as the indictment against Hutchins alleges.

"“It’s playing whack-a-mole,” said Richard Forno, who directs the graduate cyber­security program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “The bad guys are not constrained by the law. That’s why they’re bad guys.”"

"Many outlets have dedicated resources to helping people choose a VPN. But given a wide variety in quality and cost, selecting the right VPN for you can require a little digging, says Richard Forno, director of the Graduate Cybersecurity Program at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County.

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Last week Yahoo announced that 500 million accounts had been hacked – consumer names, email addresses, phone messages, passwords and birth dates were stolen. It is one of the biggest security breaches in history. We’re been seeing a lot more cyber attacks on companies, individuals and the government in recent years. So who is behind them and what can consumers do to protect ourselves online?

Emails of the Democratic National Committee were leaked this summer. Last year, a Chinese hack of the US Office of Personnel Management exposed the personal data of millions of Americans. So, how safe is the ballot box? Cybersecurity expert Dr. Richard Forno, Assistant Director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity, walks us through the potential vulnerabilities of voting systems in America.

With recent hacking issues, some wonder how vulnerable computer systems will be during the U.S. election and what security measures are in place to deal with any potential threats. Also, a new study finds that sexualization of women in video games is decreasing. And, virtual reality is being taken more seriously by the U.S. government, as a panel met on Capitol Hill last week to discuss the potential uses of the technology.

Many of America’s top cybersecurity executives are gathering in Las Vegas this week for an annual conference known as Black Hat 2016. Organizers say hacking remains a major concern and that many of the country’s digital infrastructure is vulnerable, as demonstrated by a series of recent high-profile attacks on consumer companies and political organizations. So what can be done to keep information safe? On this week’s HashtagVOA, we ask a few experts for answers.